Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”
This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.
And next to him Jehohanan the commander, with two hundred and eighty thousand: Next to him (that is, next to Adnah) is literally “by his hand.” This phrase may be misunderstood as referring to physical position if translated literally into some languages. However, it should be taken here and in the following verses as an indication of rank. Since Adnah was the commander, Jehohanan was “Second in rank” (Good News Translation) or “Next in command” (New Living Translation).
The figure of two hundred and eighty thousand refers to the number of fighting men under Jehohanan. The reader is expected to understand “mighty men of valor” from the previous verse. For this reason Good News Translation and Bible en français courant supply the word “soldiers,” while New Living Translation adds “troops.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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